I have mentored a lot of teachers over the years, and for the most part, they do well in developing communication skills, and gross motor/fine motor skill development. But, over the years, I have seen many an elementary teacher “miss the boat”, especially in the areas of academics and toileting! These teachers choose to not teach toileting skills for a number of reasons: student will never be able to go to the bathroom on his/her own, the parent doesn’t care so why should I as the teacher. A teacher choosing not to teach numbers or letters of the alphabet because the student will not use it later in life! The role of an elementary teacher, especially in special education, is multifaceted: academics and individualized instruction, IEP implementation, behavioral support, assessments and progress monitoring, life and social emotional skill development, and so much more. A co-worker friend of mine called it the kitchen sink! And as elementary teachers, we should be throwing the kitchen sink at our elementary students! The entire kitchen sink!
When it comes to education in the school setting, elementary teachers are the first line of offense! You are the initial effort or action taken to address challenges, solve problems, help students achieve goals, grow them, develop them, mold them, and shape them. You are the ones laying the foundation for everything to come after! And I mean everything! We all know that, with our students, it takes time for them to learn and grow. It takes time for goals to be achieved and dreams recognized, we have no idea what five years, ten years, fifteen years from now will bring! As a result, it is your job to throw the kitchen sink at them! And what’s in that kitchen sink? Everything! So yes, you work on academics, communication, gross motor and fine motor skill development. You work on ADL (Activities of Daily Living) skill development which includes toileting, feeding, washing hands, grooming, and more. And then there is social, emotional and vocational skill development! Why the kitchen sink?
As I stated earlier, elementary school teachers lay the foundation for everything to come! Communication, academics, gross motor and fine motor, toileting, feeding, vocational, social and emotional, and so much more! It is not your job to determine what your students can and cannot do! It is not your job to decide that a student doesn’t work on toileting because they cannot go to the bathroom on their own, or communicate the need to go. You cannot settle on not teaching academics because they will not use it later in life! It is your job to clean out that kitchen sink with all of your students.
As an elementary teacher, teaching children with severe disabilities is a deeply meaningful and impactful role. These students often have significant cognitive, physical, or multiple disabilities, and they require highly individualized instruction, care, and support. They also require you to believe in them, to believe that every one of your students can learn and contribute in meaningful ways! However that meaningful way looks! So… throw the kitchen sink at them!
